Hamburger Energy Companies Against Reich's Grid Package - Hamburg energy firms clash with federal plans to curb renewable growth
Hamburg Energy Firms Rebel Against Federal Grid Package: Why They Call It a "Brake Block" for Jobs and Climate Protection—and What They Demand from Hamburg's CDU
A coalition of Hamburg-based energy companies is pushing back against federal Economic Affairs Minister Katharina Reiche's (CDU) reform plans for expanding renewable energy. "Absurd but true: Instead of boosting the economy, Minister Reiche is slamming the brakes on it," Sönke Tangermann, board member of Green Planet Energy, told the German Press Agency (dpa). The proposed grid package, he argued, weakens the renewables sector—and with it Hamburg's economic standing.
Joint Letter to Hamburg's CDU
In a joint letter to Hamburg's CDU—obtained by dpa—nearly two dozen companies urge the party to "uphold free-market principles, shape the energy transition constructively, ensure planning certainty, and reflect this in the upcoming party conference."
Streamlining bureaucracy, advancing digitalization, and establishing uniform nationwide regulations are critical for Hamburg's economic future, the letter states. The CDU is holding its federal party conference in Stuttgart this weekend.
The sector provides thousands of jobs in Hamburg while safeguarding the city's resilience and long-term competitiveness, Tangermann emphasized. "We expect Hamburg's CDU to stand up for jobs and local value creation—and to firmly reject this version of the grid package."
Signatories include energy firms such as LichtBlick, GP Joule, Enertrag, 1Komma5°, Naturstrom, and Greentech.
Reiche Aims to Curb Costly Curtailments
Reiche's goal is to better align the expansion of wind and solar farms with the lagging grid infrastructure to reduce costs and avoid expensive curtailments (when excess renewable energy is wasted due to grid constraints). Last week, a draft bill from her ministry was leaked, though it has not yet undergone intergovernmental review.
Critics take particular issue with a proposed "redispatch clause" in the draft: Regions where curtailments exceeded 3% of renewable output in the previous year could be designated "capacity-limited" for up to a decade. Under the rule, operators would only be permitted to build new wind turbines or solar plants in these areas if they waive compensation for curtailments for ten years.
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